Integrated circuits continue to be fabricated at increasingly smaller dimensions. However, the small size of certain semiconductor devices, such as field-effect transistors (FETs), leads to certain problems. For instance, a short channel length can result in short-channel effects where the source and/or drain regions exert undue influence over the channel or carriers in the channel. These short-channel effects can lead to a reduced ability of a gate to exercise control over the channel. Advantageously, these effects are reduced when 3D devices are used in place of planar devices. For instance, where a fin type field-effect transistor (FinFET) is used, a gate has increased control over the channel because the gate wraps around three of the four sides of the channel (i.e., the gate contacts two lateral surfaces of the channel and the top surface of the channel). Similarly, a gate-all-around (GAA) structure achieves improved control by wrapping the gate material around all sides of the channel. By surrounding the channel in this manner, the gate can exert tighter control over the channel and thereby modulate the on/off states of the device more reliably.